China cites KYE factories for labor violations

Two KYE Systems factories have been cited by the Chinese government for labor violations after the alleged mistreatment of workers who manufacture Microsoft hardware there.

Courtesy of NLC

Young workers rest during a rare 10-minute break while manufacturing Microsoft mice at a KYE Systems factory in Dongguan, China.

Seattlepi.com was first to report the allegations of the National Labor Committee, which published a lengthy report on the working conditions at a factory in Dongguan, China. There, Chinese workers – mostly women aged 18 to 25 – are made to work long hours at low wages, are restricted from bathroom breaks, music or talking, and are regularly sexually harassed, the NLC claimed.

After last week’s criticism, Microsoft said it would send inspectors to the factory. On Monday, Chinese government officials said KYE broke overtime regulations and did not properly register workers 16 to 18 years old, The Associated Press reported.

From the AP report:

Investigators with Dongguan’s human resources bureau said in a report that factories are allowed to hire workers between the ages of 16 and 18 as long as the laborers are registered with the authorities. The KYE factories had 385 such workers – most supplied by vocational schools – and 326 weren’t properly registered, the report said.

Employees were also forced to work an excessive amount of overtime in March, clocking about 280 hours, the report said. Copies of the labor contract also weren’t given to employees, the document said.

But officials said that based on interviews with workers, there were no restrictions against using the restroom during shifts. The report said the company’s policy was to give workers 10-minute breaks for every two hours worked.

Last week, a Microsoft executive responded to the National Labor Committee’s allegations. Brian Tobey, corporate vice president for manufacturing and operations in Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division, wrote in part:

As a result of this report, we have a team of independent auditors en route to the facility to conduct a complete and thorough investigation. If we find that the factory is not adhering to our standards, we will take appropriate action.

We should note that as part of Microsoft’s ongoing supplier SEA (Social and Environmental Accountability) program, an independent auditor has been inspecting the KYE factory annually. In addition, Microsoft personnel conduct quarterly on-site assessments, and receive weekly reports from KYE on key labor and safety criteria that we monitor as part of our supplier SEA program. Over the past two years, we have required documentation and verification of worker age, and no incidence of child labor has been detected. Worker overtime has been significantly reduced, and worker compensation is in line with the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition standards for the Dongguan area.